Scales

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I have asked myself, just as most people if not everyone that are learning to play the guitar. ‘‘Must I spend time playing scales?“ The answer to the question is no, not if the goal is simply playing chords to accompany campfire songs. But if the goal is more ambitious, the answer would always be, yes. If you want to become an agile guitar player, scales are not something you should skip playing. Playing scales is not being able to play them for someone because no one likes listening to scales. What! If no one likes listening to scales why should I bother to play them? What are the benefits? Well, you benefit a lot. Suppose we divide the benefits into three parts. There would be benefits for understanding, memory, and technical skills.

Understanding

A scale is just a collection of notes lined up in a way so they sound good when played one after another. Little by little, the ear learns to recognize the pitch intervals, making it easier to figure out the key to the music being played. Just as the alphabet is the basic unit for reading, scales are the basic unit for all music theory. The chord structure is based on scales, so if you focus on playing and understanding scales, you underpin an understanding of chord theory and music theory in general. Because of the connection between chords and scales, understanding scales is very helpful in composing and allows you to play improvisation under chords.

Memory

Memory can be untrustworthy and can become an obstacle when playing songs and arrangements without notation. This is especially true when playing under pressure. Songs and arrangements are made from scales so good knowledge of them helps memory. If the scales are rehearsed and fixed in memory, their pattern will be learned on the guitar neck. Little by little you learn them by heart and the muscle memory gets stronger. Even though you can´t trust the muscle memory completely it can help a lot.

Technical skills

Practicing scales is an excellent way to increase technical skills on the guitar. The coordination of both hands is strengthened and the flow between notes becomes smoother and more even. Switching between the fingers of the picking hand will be easier and more accurate. If plucked with a guitar nail, the movement between the strings and the correct application of the nail will get better. Practicing scales is a good way to practice playing fast but with precision at the same time. Playing scales allows you to decorate the music you are practicing with riffs and solos, which can be quite fun. Finally, scales provide a clear vision and sense of success that will inspire you to move forward.

I´ve been fumbling, with guitar playing for quite a few years, and I really wish I could say I've done everything that's preached here, but, no. I haven't done my job at all. Now there will be a change. Scales will be played systematically from now on. In this article an attempt was made to answer the question: “Why should I play scales?” The answer is simple: “Because it´s good for you.” The next question is: “How should I practice scales?” That question might be answered in the next articles when I write about how I practice scales.